Book II, Chapters 7-10 Summary

In chapter seven, the chapter begins with a description of Nantucket, an eighteen-mile stretch of sandy ground off the coast of Massachusetts. The island has a character all its own, and so do the people. While others on the mainland made a living off the land, the people on Nantucket relied on the sea. The residents from Nantucket are different from other New Englanders. "Here were the New England character and hardi-hood, it's God-fearing and mental eagerness, yet all sensitively changed, individualized, so that they became Nantucket and no other." (Book II, Chap. 7, p. 41).

Tom Coffyn returns after four years at sea. Once on dry land, Tom attends a Quaker meeting with Caleb Severance, a crew mate. The meeting house is gray, as are its people. The people are solemn, obedient, quiet, and faithful. No one speaks...